


welcome home, mark lee!

by flightlesswish



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending (kinda), Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mark Lee-centric, Open Ending, Time Skips, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-14 14:04:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21016994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightlesswish/pseuds/flightlesswish
Summary: it was raining on the fifth of june and mark rushed to catch the train back home.





	welcome home, mark lee!

**Author's Note:**

> hello, welcome to my first markhyuck fic! please enjoy.
> 
> disclaimer: i own nothing but the story, i write fiction not reality.

i.

it was raining on the fifth of june – today, as twenty-seven years old mark lee learned from the screen of his smartphone earlier that morning, as soon as he woke up – and mark could only imagine how it looked from the sky, what with people holding their umbrellas with the colours of the whole spectrum of the rainbow. it should be pretty, he mused to himself. he _hoped _it looked pretty. maybe it would cheer the heavens a little bit and maybe, just maybe, convince it to stop weeping for awhile.

mark’s umbrella today, however, was ink black – an expensive, sturdy umbrella he got as a present from lee taeyong, one of his caring co-workers, last year when the older learned the rather surprising and peculiar fact that mark somehow did not own an umbrella.

(mark wondered whether _he _would be disappointed to see his black umbrella, if _he _ever saw it.

he could not help but smile at the thought.)

it was a little over eight p.m., thanks to a meeting with a particularly difficult client that stretched way too long to his liking. he was planning on leaving early that day, too; a plan evidently ruined, but fortunately not prominent enough to completely wreck the entirety of his day. the old lady who owned the flower shop he frequented was kind enough to wait for him, ready with his regular order at this time of the year – a bouquet full of fresh sunflowers, all yellow and bright, a striking sight against his unbuttoned black suit and equally dark dress pants.

drawn back from his wandering thoughts, mark took a glance at his watch and cursed quietly as he realised that he was running late.

shaking his head, mentally scolding himself for being easily distracted, mark started running to catch the train back home.

ii.

to tell you the truth, mark could not really remember when he started falling.

lee donghyuck came into his life when mark was thirteen and donghyuck was twelve, when the latter and his family had moved to the house next to his.

they did not get along well, at first.

in fact, mark used to hate donghyuck so _much _that he had nagged at his mum to go back to vancouver. mark’s parents, however, _adored _donghyuck. mark could not really blame them – after all, donghyuck was everything mark was not. donghyuck was a natural extrovert: he was never the one to shy away from showing his (abundant) affections, had always laughed loudly and unapologetically, always lifting up the mood wherever he was. he was also very brave, never one to be afraid of confrontations and always preferred to solve his myriads of problems head-on.

to be fair, donghyuck’s parents had adored mark, too. a right opposite to their boisterous son, mark had always been more on the reserved and quiet side. he was great at his studies – he had always came up on top of his class –, was the class president, and was also active in variety of extracurricular activities. mark lee was an absolutely fully capable person, and it used to stress him out _so much _how donghyuck seemed to always be able to get under his skin; how the younger had always managed to get to his nerves so frequently and effortlessly.

donghyuck was, as kind and talented in many things as he was, _lazy_, and was a (_registered_, donghyuck would insist every time mark brought it up) member of the go-home club. mark, after he was finished with his school and extracurricular activities, would always find donghyuck already at his house to play with him (or to eat his mum’s signature homemade cookies, mark could not really tell), beaming at him upon his arrival without fail every time.

_welcome home, mark lee!_, he would always yelled on top of his lungs, before proceeding to tackle mark to the ground. mark would then proceed to struggle to get out of the younger’s firm grip at first, but after a while he would simply resign to his fate and let donghyuck cuddle and coo at him to his heart’s content before eventually releasing him.

lee donghyuck had been a constant in his life ever since that fateful day, barging into his life and eventually settling in as a permanent mark in his life fearlessly and unabashedly.

in hindsight, the fall was not immediate. god, _no_, not at all. mark could not really recall when he did he exactly stop finding donghyuck annoying; nor could he remember when he started to reply _i’m home _to donghyuck’s _welcome home_, simply due to the the fact that donghyuck had indeed started to feel like home.

and before he knew it, he had fallen in deep - much too deep, into the beautiful, chaotic abyss that was lee donghyuck.

iii.

mark was twenty-two and donghyuck twenty-one when mark told donghyuck he loved him and finally realised the full gravity of the words.

they had been together (_kinda_, as mark had always told their friends every time they asked him with raised eyebrows) for a little over a year, then. it took them quite a long time to get there indeed, considering how they were practically attached to the hips for _years_. now that mark thought about it – deep inside his heart, he must have had realised that he did _love _donghyuck at least a couple of years prior; and he did know later on that donghyuck had realised his love for the older much earlier.

it was a quiet saturday evening. they had just finished with all of their finals and were back at mark’s house, huddled together on the couch under mark’s favourite purple buzz lightyear blanket, eyes glued to the movie playing on the screen. it was some shitty movie donghyuck had picked because mark lost in rock-paper-scissors and donghyuck’s movie taste was spectacularly horrible (according to mark, the overwhelming majority of their friends and apparently, the general consensus of rotten tomatoes dot com).

as the movie dragged on, mark simply could not bring himself to concentrate on the movie any longer. he was _dying _of boredom as the bland male protagonist made fool out of himself for the nth time and for the lack of better thing to do, his gaze inevitably wandered to the boy next to him, whose attention still pretty much fixated on the movie; with his pink, soft-looking lips opened slightly – revealing a glimpse of straight white teeth. donghyuck was wearing his favourite pikachu onesie then, his dishevelled dark brown locks hidden under the bright yellow hood. there were cookie crumbs on the corners of his lips, and a faint smudge of the chocolate ice cream he stole from the freezer earlier.

it almost felt like a surreal epiphany. any other person would probably say that donghyuck look ridiculous; but to mark, as donghyuck’s eyes lit up because of a stupidly cheesy scene in the movie, lee donghyuck looked so, _so _beautiful his heart _ached_.

and at that moment – out of the blue, mark _knew_ he had to say it out loud for the both of them.

_what_, donghyuck raised his eyebrow at him as he became aware of mark’s unwavering stare; a small pout on his lips, seemingly ready to defend his terrible movie choices or to reply to whatever playful remarks mark would typically throw at him.

yet, instead –

_i love you_, mark blurted out in response, effectively catching the younger completely off guard. mark braved on. _i love you so much my heart hurts_.

donghyuck’s eyes widened at the words as he let the words settle and sink in – not just for himself, but for the both of them. he was silent for a moment, and it scared mark a little because donghyuck _always _had something to say in any situation – but then the younger’s dark brown eyes softened and a small, rather weary smile grew on his lips as he shook his head. and just like that, mark found himself relaxing, even just a little. the next word trotting out from the younger’s slightly trembling lips was soft, disbelief palpable. _what…_

mark held his gaze, gentle and unrelenting._please don’t ever leave me. i don’t think i can ever live without you_, he went on, because apparently his brain-to-mouth filter was not working but also because he wanted donghyuck to know that. donghyuck _deserved _to know that. donghyuck, bless him, looked stunned for a moment. to mark’s surprise, the wordlessly younger leaned in, closing the small distance between them.

_it sounds a lot like a proposal_, donghyuck whispered against the older’s lips; a full smile blossoming on his soft lips.

_well_, mark shook his head slightly when they broke apart, _sorry to disappoint but i don’t have a ring yet and i can do _so_ much better than this, i promise. _a small, fond smile grew on his own lips. _please have more faith in me._

_oh? _donghyuck raised an eyebrow, evidently amused – and mark thought he could see the beginning of tears on the corner of the younger’s beautiful eyes as his voice trembled, just a little bit. _should i expect a huge diamond ring and thousands of roses prepared in the presidential suite of a luxury hotel when the time comes?_

mark laughed at that, intertwining their fingers together as he pressed their foreheads together.

_the best_, mark promised with all of his heart, _you can expect only the best._

iv.

it was raining on the fifth of june.

it was not pouring – not just yet, but almost.

they were going to see donghyuck’s favourite musical in town, perhaps have a little drink, and then have a dinner at their favourite restaurant after. they had been looking forward to this day for a long time – a well-deserved break from their rather tedious routine as well as an early birthday celebration for donghyuck.

in the days leading up to the fifth of june, mark had made sure that everything was perfect – freeing their packed schedules, ensuring their clothes perfectly washed and ironed, their reservation at the restaurant confirmed, the tickets bought a couple months in advance were safe in the inner pocket of his black jacket.

(and so was the ring.

the beautiful, _precious _ring.)

mark remembered the all-too-familiar warmth as he took donghyuck’s smaller hand in his, holding it gently like he always did, a twin of content smiles gracing their lips. his other hand, the one not holding donghyuck’s, was holding a yellow umbrella for the both of them. it was donghyuck’s – the one he bought during one of their summer vacations years ago. it could barely cover the both of them, now, but they had always liked it like this; just like this.

(they said that when this happened, time would stop.)

donghyuck’s smile was soft when he averted his gaze to mark, head tilting slightly towards the charming flower shop across the street. 

_mark, wait here for a sec. let me go to that shop real quick._

(if he knew, he would never let donghyuck’s hand go.

he would never, _ever_, let him go.)

instead – mark raised an eyebrow and asked nothing, as he had learned throughout the years that donghyuck liked to do the most random things on a whim. so he simply offered the umbrella he was holding to the younger, a fond smile on his lips. _alright, take this. i’ll take shade at the bus stop over there while i wait._

donghyuck’s grin was oh so _bright_.

he took the umbrella from mark’s hand while releasing his other hand from mark’s hold gently. he lifted his hand and pressed his palm on mark’s cold cheek lightly – and just like that, mark leaned into the touch, just like a sunflower gravitating towards the dazzling sun, yearning for more warmth. the younger chuckled and rubbed their noses together fondly.

_i’ll be back, _donghyuck breathed.

_don’t be too long_, mark replied; a small, playful pout perching on his lips.

donghyuck merely smiled in response; his small, warm hand mark knew so well squeezing the his briefly before he turned around and walked away.

mark could still the warmth of donghyuck’s hand as he watched donghyuck go, a small smile perching on his lips, without the slightest care for the brewing downpour.

neither of them saw it coming.

he heard it, though, just barely – the sound of screeching tires and surprised gasps, muffled by the rain.

and the girl.

the poor, poor little girl.

the way donghyuck ran and shouted – his wide, beautiful eyes full of horror; focusing only on the crossing girl who was painfully unaware.

(and oh, how mark would give everything, absolutely _anything_, to stop the time, then.)

but alas – time did not stop for him. it kept on running, dragging mark away with it harshly; beaten and bruised. it kept on running, even when mark was screaming on top of his lungs for it to _stop, god, please stop _–

it kept on running, as donghyuck lay on the cold pavement, his one hand still holding the now tainted, wrecked yellow umbrella tightly; his beautiful, _beautiful _eyes opened wide, soft pink lips ajar, chest rising and falling raggedly with each clumsy breath. he was besmirched with crimson mess, _too _much crimson, and mark wanted to scream because donghyuck should never be painted with such a _ghastly _hue – because donghyuck had always belonged with bright, vivid colours to make him shine even more brilliantly.

it kept on running, as donghyuck shifted his gaze towards him – looking like he was lost, before what seemed to be a realisation of what was actually happening finally, _cruelly_, dawned upon him. in an instant, mark could feel something break inside him (maybe his heart, mind, soul – _everything_) when he saw donghyuck’s lips stretched ever so slightly into a trembling smile.

_i love you_, donghyuck mouthed silently, and mark could not, could not for the life of him remember what sin did he commit in the past for him to have to witness this.

in the end, time only stopped for the person he wished the time would always run for – stretching far, far _away _to the edge of eternity.

(it only stopped when it was too late.

it _always _stopped when it was all too _late_.)

in the end, the only consolation he received was from the sorrowful, weeping darkness who effortlessly pulled him into a kind embrace like an old friend.

v.

after all, love was not made equal and even when mark had given everything he had, he still ended up losing everything.

vi.

in the sleepy train back home, mark took a lungful of air and slowly drifted off into a deep slumber.

vii.

mark opened his eyes, and donghyuck, who was so kind and beautiful and so full of _life _– was smiling brightly at him, all teeth and mirth, arms opened wide, standing firm right in front of him.

he opened his eyes, and they were twenty-two and twenty-three again, both hopelessly in love with each other without restraints of time.

mark could feel his heart broke, just a little, at the sight. he could feel a tears on the corners of his eyes; an imminent waterfall in the making.

but it did not matter, now – nothing really mattered anymore; not when _donghyuck _was here, where he could reach him once again, and as he closed the distance between them, mark could finally feel home again.

viii. 

lee donghyuck’s smile softened as he buried his face on the crook of mark’s neck.

_welcome home, mark lee!_

ix.

mark lee held him closer to his heart; never, _ever_, letting go, and finally exhaled.

_i’m home._

_[fin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqFftJDXii0&frags=pl%2Cwn)._

**Author's Note:**

> it took me a little more than a month to finish this one, after months of writer's block. the ending is purposely left open for reader’s interpretation. while i wrote this with mark dreaming the ending scene in mind, i realised when i wrote the scene that it could be interpreted in a different way, too. since i could not decide on which ending was better for the story, i ended up leaving it like this. hope it’s not too confusing! 
> 
> i had the song i put at the end of the story — one more time one more chance — on repeat when i was writing this one. while this story is not inspired by the song, i think the nuance and most of the lyrics of the song fits this story perfectly. please give it a listen if you haven’t — i hope it enhanced your experience reading this story!
> 
> all i can say for now is that i'm really happy to be able to write again despite my busy schedule; so i really, really hope that you guys like this one! all kudos and comments are much appreciated – they are such an effective extra fuel for me to keep on writing :)
> 
> note: 19/10/19 - edited for some errors and updated tags and author notes.


End file.
